You’ve probably heard or read stories of various ancient artifacts such as amulets, symbols, rings, and many iconic historical structures in your school history books. These fascinating items are incredibly important as they give us glimpses of how life used to be once upon a time for our ancestors. Since there were no cameras back then, these rare artifacts help create an image in our mind of that world gone by.
A 19th-century ‘prayer book pistol’
This unusual Italian ‘prayer book pistol’ was custom-made for Francesco Morosini, the Duke of Venice (1619-94). The book, which also contains a few prayers, was made sometime in the 17th century. It was designed in a way that it fired only when the book was closed, pulling the silk ‘bookmark’. When the book was closed, it was impossible to make out the outline of the gun. This makes historians believe that it was most likely used for personal protection.
A 3,400-year-old artist’s palette found in Egypt
This painter’s palette is believed to have been carved around 1390–1352 BC from a single piece of ivory. Amazingly, you can still see the cakes of pigments including blue, green, brown, yellow, red, and black in its wells. An inscription of the pharaoh Amenhotep III in hieroglyphics and the epithet “beloved of Re” can also be seen in this ancient palette which is safely kept at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Historians say that during the reign of pharaoh Amenhotep III in ancient Egypt, art and culture were on the rise and this old palette is a wonderful reminder of that.
This 2,000-year-old sapphire ring may have belonged to Caligula
This extraordinary carved sapphire ring is engraved with a portrait of the Roman Empress Faustina. It is believed that the precious ring belonged to the infamous Roman Emperor Caligula during the 1st century. The sculpting of sapphires, which were notoriously difficult to carve, was considered a high art form and this particular ring is a dazzling piece of jewelry that is an indication of the opulence of those times. It becomes even more fascinating because of the history attached to it.
One of ancient Egypt’s most well-preserved temples
The Temple of Hathor is one of the most well-preserved temples of ancient Egypt. It is the main temple of the Dendera Temple complex in Qena, Egypt, and its beautifully intricate colors are still as vivid. The 2,000-year old temple was once covered in large amounts of soot owing largely to the many people from the desert who sought asylum here and lit fires for cooking and warmth. Thankfully, though, archeologists managed to clean the soot and now the beauty of the ancient temple can be seen in all its glory. The condition of the well-maintained art, which displays influences from Egyptian, Greek, and Roman rulers, is particularly awe-inspiring.
